Taiwan has passed a landmark ban on trade in marine mammal
products, including seal skins, but exempting products of
traditional indigenous hunts. The Taiwanese Legislative Yuan passed
the legislation with unanimous support following a multi-year
campaign by Taiwanese animal protection group EAST.Taiwan is the
first country in Asia to prohibit the sale of marine mammals and
related products.

"Citizens of Taiwan care deeply about
animal welfare, and we do not want to trade in products of cruelty
that the rest of the world has rejected," said Wu Hung, executive
director of EAST. "I am very proud of the leadership Taiwan has
shown in banning trade in marine mammal products. I hope that many
other nations will follow suit, and that the Canadian government
will finally do as the majority of Canadians and people around the
world want and end the seal hunt for good."

"Between 2003 and
2009, Taiwan imported 430,000 kilograms of seal oil, which made us
the 4th largest importer of seal oil in the world. Through our trade
in seal products, consumers in Taiwan were unintentionally involved
in the killing of thousands of innocent seals in Canada," said
Legislator Lin of the Legislative Yuan in Taiwan. "Taiwan's decision
is an important step forward for animal protection and conservation
in Asia." Canada's commercial seal hunt is the largest slaughter of
marine mammals on Earth. With the United States, European Union and
Russia prohibiting trade in seal products, the Canadian sealing
industry has sought to develop alternate markets in Asia, sparking
protests in mainland China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan.

EAST launched their campaign to secure a Taiwanese ban on seal
product trade in 2010, achieving massive public support for the move
and convincing many retailers in Taiwan to voluntarily discontinue
sales of seal products. The prohibition on trade in marine mammal
products cements Taiwan's position and ensures that its trade in
marine mammal products will never resume.